‘Agro forestry can check farmers’ suicide’

           

                                                                                    Dr. N. D. Choudhari

IN KATOL, Morshi and other talukas of Amravati and Jalgaon District, lakhs of hectres of Citrus plantation and Banana plantation are dying due to lack of water through irrigation and causing huge losses to farmers. Due to erratic rains, floods, drought, salinity of soil (like in Nasik area), increasing temperature, increasing resistance power of insect and also due to increasing input cost and decreasing output cost, farmers are facing huge losses.

All this factors, caused by global warming, climactic change and wrong agriculture practices has raised farmers' suicide. This was also mentioned at the workshop on 'Agriculture Planning', under the chairmanship of Principal Chief Secretary Agriculture Department, Maharashtra State, Mumbai, held recently.

Mishra, Senior Scientist, Indira Gandhi Open University, Mumbai, presented research paper on farmer suicide and attributed change in socio-economic condition, loss in sustainability in agriculture production, increase in input cost and decrease in output cost and other social factor responsible for farmers' suicide. In the workshop, I raised my point that the cost benefit ratio has changed in the negative direction due to global warming and climactic changes.

In this condition, agroforestry, soil and moisture conservation are the only solution for arresting suicides.

Principal Secretary Agriculture Department of M S, Mumbai, agreed to include agroforestry as main component in agriculture planning. I am a farmer’s son too and have been observing the change of scenario in agricultural sector since 1956. Previously farmers were relying more on organic farming and local seeds mostly suited to agrtoclimatic conditions prevailing in those period. With increasing urbanization, many families have shifted to cities leaving agriculture land to the mercy of labourers. Labourers also do not carry-out agriculture works so sincerely as done in past due to change in socio econotnic conditions.

In western Maharashtra, more number of dams are constructed as compared to Vidarbha region. So, the impact of erratic rains, low water levels and other negative climactic changes are more on the Vidarbha. But, more and more use inorganic chemical fertilizers has caused salinity of soil in western Maharashtra and making the soil unsuitable to agriculture.

Environment Act prohibits excess withdrawal of ground water, even for agriculture purposes and this is not followed. Tree Felling Act prohibits cutting of trees without permission. Moreover Land Revenue Act prohibits cutting of trees within 20 mtr side of nallah, agriculture bunds and others soil eroding areas. But farmers and others are cutting Acacia, Mango, Teak and other trees on large scale from sensitive areas for soil and moisture conservation. Felling of trees in forest, non forest areas, zupdi forest, community forest for fuel wood is carried out on large scale.

Even mining of soil and sand is carried out around the villages. All these negative activ-ities contribute towards change in microclimate and lowering of water table in the water shed area of the villages and cities, Environmentalist and scientist all over the world predicted fall in agriculture production due to global warming. In Ethopia, Nigeria and certain African countries agriculture production have decreased to the lowest level beyond recopue level and peoples are dying due to malnutrition.

Non-ecofriendly old technologies and machineries are exported to developing countries causing pollution. To combat the green house effect, climactic change, soil erosion, lowering water level and increasing resistance by insect, dedicated NGOs like Anna Borade in Aurangabad District, Anna I lajare in Ralegaon Sindhi, Dr Rajhans and Yadaorao Kapgate in Bhandara District, Narayan Bhonge in Nilaj have changed the microclimate of water-shed area of their villages by undertaking massscale plantations.

It helped to increase water level and change the microclimatie condition in their village. They carried out continuous contour trenches along slope of agriculture land and planting forestry species on contours and inter crop-ping of agriculture plants between trenches Moreover they carried bonds along the nallahs and water bodies. Such works should be undertaken by Government and NGOs also. Gobar-gas plants, solar energy, wind energy, biodiesel, vermicompost, compost should be used and farmers should move towards organic farming and agroforestry.

Kishore Bliagwantrao Rokde in Bhidi (Wardha district) planted Subabul since 1987 on 64 hectres of land by organic farming with technical guidance from social forestry and getting income of 87 tons of subabul woods in 12 hectors of rotation in each year and get-ting Rs. 38000/- per hectare per year. Organic farming maintenance cost is Rs 13500/- for 64 hectares of subsbul plantation and lie gets Rs 15 lakhs income from agroforesty per year. Similarly many others are benefited from organic farming.

So to change the microclimate of the village, carry out forestry plantation and soil and moisture conservation works simultaneously by all the villagers at a time by doing the work integrally. It will surely change the crop pat-tern, increase water levels, arrest soil erosion, increase fertility of soil and increase in agriculture production. By changing cost benefit of agriculture production ratio in positive direction income of the farmers will be increased and thus, will arrest suicide of farmers.